“The Valley”, as the locals like to call it, is actually the Rio Grande Valley. It sits in the very southern tip of Texas. We arrived on Sunday the 30th and were immediately surrounded by the folks that had already established their presence here for the winter. The locals call us “Winter Texans”, and there are signs everywhere stating “Welcome Winter Texans!”. Not only do the Winter Texans bring in money, but they also bring caring folks that like to get involved in the community. We discovered that many of our new neighbors volunteer in community organizations such as animal shelters, community centers and local food banks and shelters.
There are a number of RV parks in the area. Most of the Winter Texans that we’ve met are from the upper mid-west and Canada. The area is popular to those folks due to the mild winter temperatures and relatively short driving distance. We’ve discovered that most winter travelers from the west coast like the Arizona area, most of the east coast winter in Florida and this area has a lot of upper mid-west residents. To give you an idea of where we are, we’re 360 miles southwest of Houston, 500 miles south of Dallas, 740 miles southeast of El Paso and 2350 miles southeast of Spokane. The temperatures have been very comfortable. The average for this area is 70 during the day and 50 at night. We’ve seen highs in the low 80s and don’t miss the snow.
As soon as we arrived we were invited to a New Year’s Eve celebration and dance. We accepted the invitation and had a great time. Kellie and I can’t remember the last time we stayed up until midnight! We’re really looking forward to visiting some of the local attractions. South Padre Island is just a short drive away, although we’ve been warned not to go in the month of March due to spring break crowds. We are also looking forward to visiting Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. We’ve been assured that the area is safe to visit and the food and attractions are wonderful. We’ll visit with a caravan of locals that go a couple times each month.
We’re really looking forward to the mild temperatures and local attractions over the next few months and we’ve already started talking about different videos that we can share. Stay tuned to our YouTube channel for some fun videos of the area.
